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Blogging From A to Z: Retro

Nothing makes me feel older than to see something from my youth referred to as retro. It’s weird and amusing in a “Are you kidding me? How is that possible?!” sort of way. When I see something I either played with or wore from my formative years referred to that way, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief at the reference and label.

It was bad enough wearing some of those clothes originally and now when I see them in magazines or in stores, I shudder. It’s also strange to see toys I used to play with showcased in vintage and antique store windows! Really? Who would have known we should have held on to our Rockem’ Sockem’ robots and real metal Tonka trucks as an investment? There are just some decades living through them once was enough and I’m just not interested in shag rugs and would rather eat avocados and mustard then have them be the color palate for my home.

Sometimes I wonder when retro anything rears its head, is it because people can’t think of anything new and creative anymore, and so the old becomes fodder for another generation or is it just a case of everything old is new again? If the latter is true and the cycle of reincarnation averages every twenty years or once in a generation, I look around now at our disposable and plastic culture and can’t help but wonder what will be around long enough to reawaken as retro for the 2030s from our 2010s? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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6 thoughts on “Blogging From A to Z: Retro”

Hahaha – this made me laugh. I love the music they now play in drug stores and elevators, I’m always singing along. And retro – yeah, to me it’s just old stuff that I no longer want, I’m done with it. I guess it’s retro if you didn’t grow up with it, so it’s new and interesting to a whole new generation. I wish I held onto my original Barbie doll with the black-and-white striped bathing suit – remember that? And all my old Superman and Archie comics from the 1950’s and 1960’s. Great post! 🙂

Thanks Lynn! I get such a kick out of watching those Time Life commercials for the best of whatever, and I sing along with all those old songs. I laugh to myself when I hear a muzak version of any of them on the elevator. Well, I guess start saving whatever you have now for 20 years from now!

I’m a retro queen. I have a stunning orange crushed velvet wingback chair in my living room and a cool chair from the 50s covered in boomerang fabric. My lamps are from the 50s, I have an gorgeous antique bar from England in the 20s and a really neat marble table clock from the 30s. Believe it or not it blends really nicely with my modern touches. I love to see smiley faces and it almost kinda irrtates me that peace signs are considered this generation’s fashion. No they’re not: they’re OURS! I think I like 60s & 70s retro because it brings back good memories. It’s feel-good stuff. Granted, I’m with you: I would not want the olive green kitchen appliance package that we had when I was growing up. Or okay, the mustard chairs: really ugly. Shag carpet, nah. But alot of the other stuff I’m in love with…
It does make you wonder, what do we have now that will be retro down the road?? One thing that bugs me now is the lack of individuality in the automobile body styles. It seems like you can hardly tell one car from another. Back in the day, every car had it’s own unique body style. I could see a car coming and immediately tell by the grill or the rear window or the quarter panel exactly what car it is. Now I have to look at the insignia on the car as it goes by to know what it is. That’s BORING! But what do I know: I’m just a retro girl… 🙂